Back In The Future
by Charmed-Triquetra
Summary: Where did Chris go after his tragic death in the Season 6 finale? After Chris fades away, he is transported into the future to be discovered by Wyatt... who learns the truth about how the future changed.
1. Return and Revive

_**A/N: You'll realise in this fanfic that I had sort of disregarded the whole new identities thing that the sisters and Leo did at the end of the seventh season. This is because I am simply assuming that they were able to find their way out of that and come out into the open again by the end of the eighth season…**_

"Mom? Dad?" Wyatt called as he stepped into the Manor.

There was no answer, so he led Chloe, his girlfriend, into the house. She studied the surroundings, obviously impressed with the style of the Manor.

Wyatt glanced at her, and smiled at the fact that they had made it to the point where he was comfortable enough to invite her into his home. Chloe was also a witch, although not by blood, and magic was always interfering with their lives and their relationships. One thing they had in common, the trait that held them together, was that they loved the world of magic and wouldn't trade it for anything.

Wyatt had never understood why his mother and his aunts were always wanting of a normal life. They were the almighty Charmed Ones- something as amazing as that should trump normal any day. Although he knew that his mom and Aunt Phoebe had their doubts after they lost their older sister- his Aunt Prue- to a demon. Not that he knew from personal experience, but losing a sibling had to be devastating. He couldn't say that he would feel the same if he lost his brother, or even one of his cousins.

Chloe looked back out the window,

"Wyatt? Isn't that your brother's moped in the driveway?"

Wyatt peered past her and saw Chris's moped- or, as Piper had always called it, the death trap- parked next to his childhood bicycle. This meant that he must be home, and hadn't heard Wyatt calling. He walked over to the staircase and yelled,

"Chris? Are you home?" There was no response. He turned back to Chloe,

"He must have orbed out somewhere. Mom will freak if she finds out."

Chloe laughed and followed Wyatt up to his room.

They held hands as they walked through the hallway. As they passed Piper and Leo's room, Wyatt looked in to make sure that there was no one in there… like his father taking a nap between duties at the Magic School.

Although he was expecting someone to be on the bed, he still jumped when he saw Chris lying there. Why wasn't he in his own room?

"Chris? Didn't you hear me?" Wyatt walked up to Chris, and then nearly had a heart attack. There was blood on his shirt and he didn't appear to be breathing.

"Chris!" Wyatt let go of Chloe's hand and ran to his brother's side. He shook Chris's shoulders, and then felt his forehead. It was cold.

"Oh, God, no!" Wyatt's voice cracked and tears of panic streamed down his face.

"Oh my God, is he alright?" Chloe was suddenly beside Wyatt, touching his shoulder.

"I think he's… he's… oh God, please be alive!"

"Why don't you use your power to heal him?"

_Of course, why didn't I think of that?_ Wyatt thought, glad that he had someone with a clear head with him. He held his hands over his brother's wounds and focussed all of his power into healing his brother.

His hands glowed brightly as his power activated, but Chris's wound wasn't healing itself. Wyatt tensed with frustration,

"Come, on, damn it!"

"Why is it not working?" Chloe asked, the pitch of her voice going up slightly with worry.

"I don't know." Wyatt responded, "Try CPR. You take his mouth, I'll take his chest."

Chloe and Wyatt rushed to trying CPR on Chris, but it wasn't working.

"Wyatt…" Chloe said to her boyfriend, hoping to help him come to the conclusion that maybe his brother was dead.

"No. No, he isn't. I don't believe that. We need more help- more power. That's all." Wyatt started pacing and then yelled to the ceiling,

"MOM! DAD! AUNT PAIGE!" Wyatt shouted, "Chris is hurt! I need you!"

He was grateful to see a shower of blue orbs appear before him and take on the form of his Aunt Paige, with her 12 year old daughter, Patricia, in tow.

"What's wrong?"

"Chris- he's hurt. And I can't heal him." Wyatt stammered, openly shedding tears now. He called out for his parents again. This time, Piper and Leo appeared.

Piper's eyes immediately fell on Chris and leapt on the bed and held onto her son's hand,

"Chris, honey, can you hear me? It's Mom."

Wyatt looked at his dad, who looked like he was having a horrible flashback.

Leo looked at his youngest son, his baby, lying unconscious on his bed, while Piper tried to stir him and Wyatt wept. He shared a look with Paige, and he knew that she knew what he was thinking. He recognised the clothes, and he recognised the injury. A fateful day from 22 years ago.

"_Gideon's magic did this to me."_ Chris's voice echoed in Leo's mind.

"_I can't choose between you and Wyatt, okay Chris, I won't." Leo said._

"_You don't have to. Find Gideon and you save us both." Chris assured him._

Leo's heart thudded as he remembered Darryl looking as him with the look of an empathetic parent,

"_I'm sorry Leo."_

"_You can hold on. Don't give up." Leo had said to his son, trying not to cry._

"_You either." Chris's breathed out his last words and his body had relaxed. Leo had burst into tears while Paige fought back violent sobs. He had held onto his son's body until it faded away._

"Leo?" Piper's voice snapped Leo from his flashback, "What do we do? I can't wake him."

"The Elders." Paige said, strongly, "They'll have enough power to heal him."

She didn't want to explain in front of Wyatt the real reason why she suggested the Elders. She and Leo both knew that the Elders would be able to reverse Gideon's magic and bring Chris back.

"Okay." Piper agreed.

Wyatt's heart pounded in his chest as he tightened his grip on Chloe's hand. His mom greatly disliked the Elders and if she was agreeing to ask for their help without hesitation, then something was seriously wrong. Leo nodded and closed his eyes, to communicate with the other Elders.

After being powerless for several years, his work at Magic School had convinced the Elders that he should be promoted to back to Whitelighter without having to die again. Now he was happy with his family again and able to consult the Elders whenever the family needed help. Piper, although not happy about it, was able to accept it.

Suddenly, Odin and another five Elders orbed into the bedroom.

Wyatt started breathing normally and explained that he'd found Chris unconscious and not breathing.

Leo looked at Odin and the fear and pain in his eyes told Odin everything. Only the Elders would be able to heal Chris because an Elder caused his fatal injury.

Odin nodded at the other Elders gathered around the bed and motioned for Piper to step back. Paige stroked Piper's hair to give her some comfort. Piper smiled at her sister and motioned Wyatt to stand with her. She held her son's hand with both her hands. She looked at him and stared into his green eyes, so much like Leo's. Her deep brown eyes said to him _'Your brother is going to be fine'_.

The Elders worked for a long time over Chris's body, and Leo nearly gave up hope… that is, until he saw colour coming to Chris's face, and his right hand twitched.

As the life came back, his wound healed quickly. The sudden burst of health caused Chris to wake up with a start and a huge gasp of breath. As the Elders moved away from the bed, Wyatt let go of his mother's hand and hugged Chris,

"Thank God you're alright!" He said into his brother's shoulder.

Piper was suddenly at her baby's side again,

"Honey, take slow steady breaths. Wyatt, stop crushing your brother." She tried to remain serious, but she was laughing with relief.

Chris suddenly registered that he was back in the future, or rather the present, and smiled gratefully at his mother. He was thrilled to see that Piper hadn't died when he was fourteen- he must have changed that part of the future. He had also realised that he had been successful in warning his family about Wyatt turning evil, as his brother was good, happy and hugging him. Chris hugged Wyatt back, and realised that Leo was standing at the foot of the bed with Paige. He looked a lot older than he had the last time Chris saw him, but he had a relieved smile on his face. Chris grinned back at him,

"I see you didn't give up either."


	2. The Truth

_**A/N- okay, originally this fic was only meant to be a one-chapter story but, seeing as I got so many positive reviews and many of you asking me to continue, I decided to add to it. **_

**_This one is more Wyatt than Chris and contains a lot of recap, but I hope you guys like it. I love you all!_**

_**Just to let you know, there is a gap between the first and second chapter. The Elders have gone back to 'Elderland' (as titled by the members of Screen-Scene) and Paige and little Patricia have orbed away.**_

**Chapter 2**

"Here you go, peanut." Piper handed a mug of herbal tea to Chris, who was now seated in the sunroom with a blanket placed over his shoulders.

Shivering slightly from his ordeal, he accepted the tea and inhaled the spicy scent. He had forgotten how much he missed his mother's special brews. He had lived without them for nearly eight years.

Wyatt, having sent his girlfriend home, sat next to his little brother and watched him with concern.

Chris couldn't believe that this really was his older brother. He wasn't anything like the Wyatt he knew when he left to travel to 2003. He wasn't watching Chris with disdain, but regarding him with the love that siblings should have for each other; he was smiling instead of scowling; and even his appearance had changed- from long hair and black clothes to neatly trimmed blond hair and casual clothes from the Gap.

Even the Manor had changed. When he had left to go to the past, the Halliwell Manor had been a museum, a shallow tribute to the power that his family had held, and the atmosphere had been dark and painful. But his plans to change the future had worked, and he now saw a Manor similar to the one he had seen in 2004: light, loving and fun.

_It worked. It really worked._ Chris thought with elation. Not only did he stop Wyatt from becoming the evil monster that he had seen growing up, but he had changed it so much that the Charmed Ones were still alive. He saw Piper's hand in Leo's and realised that they must have sorted out their differences and got back together after he was born. He wondered about what else he had changed… like Bianca. Was she still alive? Were they still engaged?

"How are you feeling, buddy?" Leo asked, regarding him with a concerned expression that mirrored Piper's and resembled Wyatt's.

"I don't know. I feel weird." Chris replied, his throat a little dry. He blew on his tea and took a sip, "Dizzy."

Piper let go of Leo's hand and sat on the coffee table opposite her sons. She looked at Chris specifically,

"I'm not surprised- you went through quite an ordeal."

"What happened?" Wyatt asked. His voice had finally reached its normal key and had stopped shaking, as if he'd finally got over the shock. Although being the most powerful witch since the Charmed Ones themselves, he was a lot like his mother and aunts- his greatest fear was also the loss of a sibling.

"I'm not sure." Chris lied. He didn't want to explain to Wyatt what he had done. That he had been killed trying to save Wyatt's past self. If this Wyatt was anything like Leo, then he would then be wrecked with guilt.

"Well, what was the last thing you remember?"

"I…" Chris looked up at Leo, who stared back, but didn't say anything with his eyes except _'I'm so glad you're okay'_. He looked back at Wyatt,

"I can't remember… It all feels a little hazy, you know?"

Wyatt looked at both of his parents,

"So, are we dealing with some sort of demon that wipes out a person's memory and then stabs them?"

Neither Piper nor Leo said anything. They just looked at each other in question. Chris could easily tell that they were debating whether or not to tell Wyatt the truth. He was wondering the same thing himself. Wyatt, not noticing the silent debate, moved to stand up,

"Okay, I'll go get the _Book of Shadows_."

"No, wait, honey- sit down." Piper said to Wyatt, who looked at her with a confused expression as he settled back down on the couch next to his brother,

"What is it, Mom?" he asked, "If there's a demon after Chris, shouldn't we-"

"There isn't a demon after Chris, Wyatt." Leo said as he sat next to Piper.

"We know what happened to him, he's not in any trouble now." Piper added.

Wyatt looked at Chris, who sat there silently, staring into his tea as if he'd rather be hidden inside the mug.

"I don't understand. What's going on?" Wyatt demanded.

Chris drained the remains of his now cold tea. He could tell from Wyatt's voice that he was genuinely worried. Chris, too, was afraid- he knew now that if Wyatt learned about what he used to be, it would devastate him. He also knew that their parents knew best and, if they think that Wyatt is entitled to know, he should trust their decision… which is why he kept his mouth shut.

"Wyatt, do you remember being attacked when you were little?" Piper asked her eldest son, while wondering how she was going to explain this all tactfully.

"Which time?" Wyatt joked, although he was silently dreading where this conversation was headed.

"The day Chris was born. You might have blocked it out. You were two."

"You were attacked by an Elder," Leo said quietly, as though the memory still pained him, "An Elder who thought you would be a threat to us if you grew up. He wanted you dead."

Wyatt swallowed,

"Okay. But what does this have to do with Chris getting hurt?"

"It's because I was there." Chris said, finally mustering the courage to speak. Seeing the look of confusion of Wyatt's face, Chris forced himself to continue,

"This reality… it's a new one. In the reality I grew up in, you were evil. When Gideon- the Elder- attacked you, he kidnapped you and took you to the Underworld."

"We managed to stop it this time around," Leo continued, "But if we hadn't, you would have ended up spending weeks, even months, in the Underworld protecting yourself. Even though you would have defeated Gideon, you would have lost faith in good and turned evil."

"After years of you using your powers for evil, I decided that I would go back to the past and stop it from happening. I spent over a year in the past. On the day that I was due to be born, Gideon made his move on you, and he stabbed me to get me out of the way. Mom was in labour, Aunt Paige and Aunt Phoebe were looking after her, and Dad…"

"I was caught in a trap set up by Gideon." Leo finished. "When I got to Chris, Gideon's magic stopped me from being able to heal him. He died in my arms, and faded away. I assume that he ended up here, in his correct time."

"That's why you couldn't heal Chris yourself when you found him." Piper explained, "Only Elders can undo the magic of other Elders. Leo wasn't able to in the past because Gideon was still alive. Now that Gideon is dead, his magic was able to be reversed before Chris fully moved on."

Wyatt put up his hand to silence his family,

"Wait. I remember. I remember the Whitelighter we had after Dad became an Elder, and then he left unexpectedly." He looked at his parents with a mildly accusing stare, "And his name was Chris too- you told me that's who you named Chris after. You lied to me. That wasn't my brother's namesake- that was him!"

Chris ignored the fact that his family was talking about him as if he weren't there. He was more concerned about how upset Wyatt looked.

"And, I was evil?" Wyatt finally addressed his brother. Chris looked at him sadly,

"Yes, you were. But it wasn't your fault."

Wyatt's heart pounded in his chest. This was way too much for him to take,

"I… I can't handle this right now. I need to be alone."

Before anyone could say anything to him, Wyatt orbed out.


	3. Discussion

_**A/N- I know! It's another update! gasps faints**_

_**Bet no one thought I'd update this fic, right? Well, I am. No work to be done and an hour free, so I thought I'd spend the time writing more to the story. Hopefully you will enjoy this chapter. **_

_**I'm planning to make this one the final instalment. However, I have another chapter idea to wrap things up regarding the Chris and Bianca storyline. If enough people request me to write that too, I will do so. Because I love you all! Although, with exams coming up, I may not have time to write it just yet.**_

Wyatt sat down on the top of the Golden Gate Bridge, leaning on one of the supporting beams. He turned his head and pressed his cheek against the cold metal, allowing it to bring some relief to his overheated face.

The sudden burst of iciness to his skin sent a jolt through his system, but it did not serve to wake him from his pain. The shock from what his family had told him was only just beginning to settle in.

_I was evil._ He thought to himself, _Chris nearly died because of me._

He could not get the image out of his mind. His little brother bleeding to death on their parents' bed... it was not something he wanted to think about, much less the idea that he was the reason that Chris had been in that position.

He wrung his hands absently- something he always did when he was anxious- and then studied his fingers as they moved on their own accord. His habits were part of his overall instinct. Something he would never be able to gain full control over.

Like his destiny. What if being a force of evil _was_ his destiny? What if Chris had only managed to delay the inevitable? Was there evil festering inside of him just waiting to get out?

As the thoughts streamed through his mind, he found himself feeling anger building up inside of him. His family- his parents, his brother, even his aunts- had been lying to him his whole life. Why had they not just told him about Gideon?

Wyatt thought back to his childhood and teenage years and started to understand why his mother was always so skittish when he had made jokes about turning evil or whenever he attempted to cast a spell for personal gain. His father would always be slightly wary whenever Wyatt held Excalibur, and always kept his distance when he was practicing sword-play. Wyatt always found that strange as his father was a whitelighter and therefore wouldn't be hurt by the sword. Not permanently, anyway. It all made sense now. They were worried that he was being corrupted and that he was turning evil without them realising.

He saw a faint blue light reflecting off his skin and he looked up to find a swirl of orbs in front of him. He sighed when he saw the orbs take on the form of Chris. He didn't think he would be able to handle talking to him right now. Although it seemed that he didn't have much of a choice.

"How did you find me here?" Wyatt said without looking up, "I shielded myself so that no one could track me."

"Are you kidding?" Chris replied, smiling slightly, "I know you Wyatt. You always come up here when you need to think. So does Dad, and Paige. This is pretty much a Halliwell hangout."

"Aunt." Wyatt muttered, still looking at his hands.

"Sorry?" Chris asked as he walked closer to his older brother.

"It's _Aunt_ Paige. You called her Paige." Wyatt knew it was a trivial thing to point out, but it reminded Wyatt of where Chris had just come from. He hated that.

"Oh." Chris responded, running his left hand through his light brown hair. "Yeah, it's a force of habit."

Wyatt remained silent, so Chris decided that he would need to be the one that did the talking. He sat down opposite his brother,

"Wyatt, I…"

"What?" Wyatt's head snapped up. "You're sorry? What the hell are you sorry for? I'm the reason you risked your life. I'm the one who was so hideously evil that my baby brother had to go back in time and fix it." In his rage, Wyatt threw back his right hand and whacked it against the metal of the bridge. He drew it back and started to rub the sore spot.

"Ouch. Damn it!" There was a stretch of silence as Chris watched his brother rub his newly acquired bruise aggressively. Not because it hurt, but because it gave Wyatt something else to focus on instead of his emotional anguish.

"Look, I know you're mad at me. And Mom and Dad." Chris started, "But you-"

"I'm not mad at you guys." Wyatt corrected him, "I'm mad at myself. I have prided myself in not being corrupted by my powers. I thought that I had inherited our family's strength."

"You have." Chris assured him, "We both have."

"Then why did I turn evil?" Wyatt snapped again, not actually intending for his brother to answer him. However, he knew that Chris was going to try.

"You are the most powerful force of magic since the Charmed Ones." Chris began his explanation despite feeling his inferiority complex rising to the surface, "There isn't a demon in the world who didn't want you out of the way. And since they can't kill you, they'd want to make you an ally."

"But it wasn't a demon that did it."

"It was an Elder, I know." Chris said. He was silent for a moment, and Wyatt sensed that he was trying to block his near-death-experience from his mind. "But to be betrayed by someone who was meant to protect you at such a young age. You were bound to lose faith. Especially when it took Mom and Dad so long to find you."

"I could have been stronger." Wyatt mumbled, not wanting to let go of his central point.

"When you were a baby?" Chris stopped short before he said something harsh, and decided to take a different tactic, "At least this time around you didn't turn evil. That proves that it wasn't meant to be."

"What makes you think that?" Wyatt demanded, although he knew now that he was just being stubborn. Halliwell family trait.

"Because I managed to change the future, that's why." Chris replied, "If you were destined to become evil, you would be evil now."

Wyatt sighed, realising that his brother had a point and that he really had no reason to be so stubborn. He looked at Chris and a moment of understanding passed between them. Chris grinned, knowing that he had managed to win his brother over. A sense of elation welled up inside of him. He had risked his life and the ones he loved and it had all been worth it: he'd saved the future.

Without any further words, the Halliwell brothers orbed home.


End file.
